Spotting wildflowers on our weekends away
In September and October Mike and I went on various trips in Ethel the campervan and were lucky with the weather!
Early Sept – by the Great Ouse river in St Neots Cambridgeshire
We took the van to a peaceful riverside location and went for walks along the banks.
Willow trees – Salix
These wetland species were all around us at the campsite. I’m afraid I’m not much of a tree buff!


Water Mint – Mentha aquatica
This lovely display was in Paxton Pits nature reserve.


Indian Balsam – Impatiens glandulifera
This photo shows the toothed leaves and undeveloped seed pods of this invasive pink riverside flower.

Late Sept by the sea at Herne Bay Kent
I visited my friend Mercy the horticulturalist at the end of Sept and her strange posture indicates that we were hunting fossilised sharks teeth at Beltinge.

Rock Samphire – Crithmum maritimum
She pointed out this Rock Samphire which was indeed growing amongst the rocks.

Early Oct Folkestone in Kent
Another trip with Ethel, this time to a seaside campsite.
Travellers Joy – Clematis vitalba
I had recently seen this common clematis in flower in Seaford, now its fluffy seed heads were evident.

Studland Peninsula Dorset late Oct
The weather was getting colder so we spent more time inside the van.

But in the morning we braved the cold to have breakfast outside in the sunshine, and came across five deer grazing. Here are two of them (that’s not our van by the way).


Ling Heather – Calluna vulgaris

Read about another riverside stay where we saw Balsam – this time orange.
I’ve done a lot of wildflower spotting in Herne Bay and the North Kent coast.